Category Archives: seasonal

Nothing escapes the red and greening of the holidays in my house … including soup!

And roasted red pepper soup with Christmas tree-shaped pesto croutons is about as festive as you can get in the soup world. While soup may not be on your typical holiday menu, this velvety red potage from the Food Network is perfect for a cozy meal after a hard day of shopping at the mall or even better after an afternoon of shoveling the snow.

Mistakes happen … especially in the kitchen. And here at Soupalooza, we are not immune to the occasional “Holy Cow! What just happened here?”

Last week, I was invited to speak at the Vernon Hills Library on soup-making. I offered to bring samples, figuring there might be 20 people there. To my surprise (and delight), 90 people had signed up and there was a waiting list. (People love soup, what can I say?)

In any case, I decided to go with a pot of split pea and a pot of tomato — both would be easy to make and relatively inexpensive, considering the quantity. Off I went to the grocery store to buy canned fire roasted tomatoes, the killer ingredient for homemade tomato soup.

Adding chocolate to your shrimp tortilla soup is like a mole enchilada -- only you eat it with a spoon!

I love shrimp. I love tortilla chips. And I love, love, love chocolate, but, a shrimp and chocolate tortilla soup?

Absolutely! Think of it as a shrimp enchilada with mole sauce, only in soup form. Actually, this Paula Deen recipe is just a variation of tortilla soup, with the addition of cocoa powder, which gives it a dimension of richness and complexity in the way that a mole sauce would.

For a light, creamy asparagus soup that is lower in calories, try this version from Food Network chef Anne Burrell. Potatoes add the rich texture and a sprinkling of feta cheese adds a nice bit of sharpness.

My good friend and yoga instructor, Catriona, says leave the end bits of the asparagus on the stalks while cooking to enhance the flavor. Just make sure to strain the soup or you will wind up with a mouth full of “matchsticks.”

Snap peas make a delightful summer soup, especially when you add Marmite.

My soup and yoga mentor, Catriona, gave the split pea soup a try and here’s what she had to say:

I was so enthused by the green pea soup, I made a batch of it this afternoon! The caraway seeds make such a difference. I also put in 3 bay leaves and, because I know they would be the first words Bob’s would ask, I chopped up a couple of slices of ham. Exceedingly yummy.

Soupalooza published its second column in the Daily Herald … this time we focused on split pea soup, admittedly a love-it-or-hate-it proposition. As a matter of fact, Daily Herald Editor John Lampinen wrote on his facebook page:

There are two phenomena I never will understand: 1) People who can smoke one cigarette every couple of months. And 2) people who will eat split pea soup without a gun pointed at their heads…. But if somehow you’re part of the latter phenomenon, our soup columnist has a creative suggestion for you.

This is a big day for soupalooza. The Daily Herald is running our column once a month on soup. We decided to start with a favorite …. cream of tomato soup. We showcase a great recipe from our guru Mark Bittman of the New York Times (you can never go wrong with Mark).

Soupalooza tinkered with Mark’s recipe a tad by using canned roasted tomatoes and it is awesome …. even better than the kind in the red and white can. Really! Hard to imagine, but it is almost as easy and twice as yummy. Check out the column in the Daily Herald. We are so excited!

OK, so every time I make this soup, it turns out differently. But it is delicious each and every time.

Here’s my question for you, fellow soup savants: Why is it when you remake a tried and true soup recipe, the end results can turn out so differently?

I know. I know. We soup lovers like to make soup because, well, because it’s a little more free flowing than, say, baking puff pastry. Add a little here. Adjust. Toss in some more water. A splash of lemon , a pinch more salt …

When my friend and yoga teacher Catriona first mentioned green bean soup with Marmite, I have to admit I balked.

First of all, there’s no real need to make soup out of green beans. After all, why mush up something that’s meant to be served with a bit of snap? (My favorite is to blanche green beans and then saute them in butter with shallots, chopped hazelnuts and rosemary. Amazing!)

As to the Marmite, I really didn’t know exactly what it was, but it didn’t sound good.